Rebecca (2020)Dreams and nightmares only have power so long as people go on believing that they do. Rebecca (2020) is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, and is also something of a remake of the classic psychological thriller/gothic romance adapted by Alfred Hitchcock eighty years prior. It follows the story of an unnamed young woman (played by Lily James, and credited as "Mrs. de Winter"), who narrates the film largely as a flashback. It starts from the time when she met Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), a moody millionaire who falls for the naive young waif, weds her, and takes her back to his ancestral seat--the sprawling English estate called Manderley. Yet despite their fairy tale romance, a darkness lurks within the mansion, for--in a manner of speaking--it is haunted by the specter of his late wife, Rebecca.
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There is a great deal of irony in this adaptation of "Rebecca", since the plot revolves around a new Mrs. de Winter forever living in the shadow of her predecessor. As with Mrs. de Winter to Rebecca, critics have invariably drawn comparisons (often less than favorable ones) between this "upstart" movie and its vaunted, beloved precursor. To be fair, Hitchcock's adaptation was a masterpiece of tension, romance, mystery, and more. It also represented a real turning point for the auteur and the level of creative control directors would enjoy from then on. But as you can see, it is all too easy to spend this time discussing the former movie, and that's an interesting aspect that follows discussion about this "remake" and thus makes it appealing in an indirect way. I watched this Rebecca with my wife who had not seen the former film nor read the source material. She and I bonded in part over our mutual interest in "Downton Abbey", which also featured Lily James in later seasons, and she has a fondness for period attire, being a sewist. She greatly enjoyed Rebecca, commenting on the majestic settings, including Manderley (shot at Cranborne Manor in Dorset) and the surrounding countryside (shot in Devon). She was delighted by the vast cliffsides that gave an unspoken intensity to each scene, underscoring the unease fomenting between Mrs. de Winter and her husband. She anticipated some of the twists and turns in Rebecca, with its clues peppered in here and there, like when the icy housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), manipulates events by suggesting that Mrs. de Winter wear a dress modeled after one of Maxim's ancestors for a costume ball. Subsequently, she inadvertently dresses up as Maxim's late wife, which only broadens the rift between her and her husband. My wife later commented that because of how Danvers practically raised Rebecca, that the late Mrs. de Winter probably became the monster she was because of her possessive maid, adding a new layer to the story that I never picked up on in the original.
There is little difference between the stories of either film, and even some dialogue is shared between them, though in many cases--especially with Maxim--is delivered in very different way. For me, much of the joy in watching this film was in seeing the differences between both films. I think this comes across strongest in Armie Hammer's performance as Maxim de Winter. I suppose that trying to step into the shoes of Lawrence Olivier would seem a herculean challenge to most thespians. So instead of merely aping the great actor, Hammer puts his own spin on the brooding noble. He is a Prince Charming with a mote of darkness lurking within, emphasizing a persona of strength and physicality, concealing that he isn't as confident as he lets on; compare this to the self-assured wit and impatient intelligence of Olivier's Maxim. And there is enjoyment in identifying what lines of dialogue made the cut, and what didn't. Purists will no doubt miss some of the best lines from the original (especially Joan Fontaine's perfectly delivered "I am Mrs. de Winter, now"). And despite Sam Riley's performance as the roguish Jack Favell, George Sanders will always remain in a league of his own as the quintessential cad who was Rebecca's "favorite cousin". But what this film does is further explore the psychological torment of Mrs. de Winter through her dreams and--at the height of her anxiety--her hallucinations. After she is thoroughly humiliated at the ball she was so proud to host--and this film gives extra attention to her preparation of it to emphasize her subsequent despair afterward--she envisions the partygoers barking "Rebecca" at her in costume. Even her dreams have her being dragged down into Manderley by myriad strands of ivy, trapped within the enveloping legacy of her husband's late wife.
Perhaps the one line that sticks with me the most is one that Maxim says: "All marriages have their secrets." Both films explore the growing pains of marriage in different ways. While the Maxim of Hitchcock's film treats his child bride in an almost condescending way, like a child or a pet whom he later feels guilty for inflicting his past upon, this film--directed by Ben Wheatley--instead explores how two people in love can (and do) accidentally hurt one another when the honeymoon is over. Neither Mrs. de Winter nor Maxim do so deliberately, but in the course of learning (or trying to learn) more about one another, or trying to acclimate to the other's lifestyle, they bring suffering nonetheless, until it gets to the point where their relationship looks doomed. More than even the shadow of Rebecca--or the shadow of the 1940 film of the same name--this movie counts on its audience being invested in the love between its two main characters, in that love being increasingly threatened, and how in spite of it all, it survives.
Recommended for: Fans of pre-World War II English period pieces, gothic romances, and even mysteries. It is fair to say that for audiences of Rebecca, your mileage may vary largely on how willing you are to abandon your expectations about how faithful it must remain to the original. But those who enjoy seeing a new side of the story will find it here.
There is little difference between the stories of either film, and even some dialogue is shared between them, though in many cases--especially with Maxim--is delivered in very different way. For me, much of the joy in watching this film was in seeing the differences between both films. I think this comes across strongest in Armie Hammer's performance as Maxim de Winter. I suppose that trying to step into the shoes of Lawrence Olivier would seem a herculean challenge to most thespians. So instead of merely aping the great actor, Hammer puts his own spin on the brooding noble. He is a Prince Charming with a mote of darkness lurking within, emphasizing a persona of strength and physicality, concealing that he isn't as confident as he lets on; compare this to the self-assured wit and impatient intelligence of Olivier's Maxim. And there is enjoyment in identifying what lines of dialogue made the cut, and what didn't. Purists will no doubt miss some of the best lines from the original (especially Joan Fontaine's perfectly delivered "I am Mrs. de Winter, now"). And despite Sam Riley's performance as the roguish Jack Favell, George Sanders will always remain in a league of his own as the quintessential cad who was Rebecca's "favorite cousin". But what this film does is further explore the psychological torment of Mrs. de Winter through her dreams and--at the height of her anxiety--her hallucinations. After she is thoroughly humiliated at the ball she was so proud to host--and this film gives extra attention to her preparation of it to emphasize her subsequent despair afterward--she envisions the partygoers barking "Rebecca" at her in costume. Even her dreams have her being dragged down into Manderley by myriad strands of ivy, trapped within the enveloping legacy of her husband's late wife.
Perhaps the one line that sticks with me the most is one that Maxim says: "All marriages have their secrets." Both films explore the growing pains of marriage in different ways. While the Maxim of Hitchcock's film treats his child bride in an almost condescending way, like a child or a pet whom he later feels guilty for inflicting his past upon, this film--directed by Ben Wheatley--instead explores how two people in love can (and do) accidentally hurt one another when the honeymoon is over. Neither Mrs. de Winter nor Maxim do so deliberately, but in the course of learning (or trying to learn) more about one another, or trying to acclimate to the other's lifestyle, they bring suffering nonetheless, until it gets to the point where their relationship looks doomed. More than even the shadow of Rebecca--or the shadow of the 1940 film of the same name--this movie counts on its audience being invested in the love between its two main characters, in that love being increasingly threatened, and how in spite of it all, it survives.
Recommended for: Fans of pre-World War II English period pieces, gothic romances, and even mysteries. It is fair to say that for audiences of Rebecca, your mileage may vary largely on how willing you are to abandon your expectations about how faithful it must remain to the original. But those who enjoy seeing a new side of the story will find it here.